Gardens Illustrated Magazine

This month we hear from photographer Nic Barlow, who has pursued a life-long passion to record in pictures some of the most notable follies and grottoes of Europe. He talks about the book that he has recently released. And regular columnist Frank Ronan introduces us to Mrs Trug.

A summer special with the Gardens Illustrated team getting together to chat about recent garden visits they’ve made. They talk about the Hampton Court Flower Show, a garden in Cornwall, village scarecrows and all things roses.

This month we've a tour of the latest attraction at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, with head of arboriculture Tony Kirkham introducing the exciting new Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway. We also talk to salad-growing expert Charles Dowding about his new book Salad Leaves for All Seasons.

Gardens Illustrated editor Juliet Roberts spoke to three garden experts, Tim Richardson, Dan Pearson and Andrew Wilson, about this year's Chelsea Flower Show. They each give their opinions on the event picking up on current trends and must-have plants.

A busy month in the garden and in the podcast with our first outside broadcast from the new Shirley Sherwood Gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with Dr Sherwood showing us round the gallery's display of botanical art. Then there's an interview with author Christopher Stocks about his latest book Forgotten Fruits and Frank is mesmerised by the colour blue. Don't forget to visit our new forum and get involved in the various discussions.

Sir Roy Strong, who created his garden The Laskett together with his late wife, and Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter in Sussex (home to the late Christopher Lloyd) talk about their experiences of gardening with a legacy. They consider whether a garden can be expected to live beyond the life of its owner, and how to move a garden forward while respecting its heritage.

Sir Roy Strong, who created his garden The Laskett together with his late wife, and Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter in Sussex (home to the late Christopher Lloyd) talk about their experiences of gardening with a legacy.

Writer and psychotherapist Rozsika Parker joins hosts Noel Kingsbury and Tim Richardson to consider if men and women garden differently. This is a lively discussion with lots of contributions from the floor bringing up aspects of history, culture, genetics and economics both in terms of the amateur and professional gardener alike.

Springtime favourites with ideas for seeing magnolias in bloom and spotting the delicate Fritillaria meleagris. Interviews include a chat with designer Helen Dooley, who is creating a Gardens Illustrated vegetable garden at the Gothenburg garden festival this summer.

Inspiration for spring with co-owner of nursery Secret Seeds, John Langston, giving tips on successful seed sowing. Then we talk to the head gardener at Hever Castle in Sussex to find out more about the garden's connection with the recent release of the film The Other Boleyn Girl.

Considered something as a agent provocateur in the horticultural world, William Martin describes himself as 'an artist whose ideas find their best expression in the garden'. In his talk he considers the complex relationships between landscape, environment, culture and society as revealed in his own garden Wigandia in southern Australia.

Highlights of the February issue plus snowdrops with Dr John Grimshaw from Colesbourne gardens and columnist Frank Ronan talks about the pleasures of weeding.

Highlights of the January issue plus tales from daring plant hunters. There's also an interview with author Tim Richardson, flagging up the series of discussions he is hosting together with Noel Kingsbury at the Museum of Garden History. He talks about the recent event with landscape designer Kim Wilkie.

Landscape architect Kim Wilkie, whose projects include the V and A Museum garden, talks about ‘The Uses and Abuses of History’, discussing the issues of authenticity and appropriateness when it comes to garden restoration. How do we interpret the past and what are our responsibilities? Kim draws on his own experiences at Villa La Peitra in Florence, Heveningham Hall, Suffolk, Boughton Park, Northamptonshire and a private house in Hampshire, leading a lively and interesting debate.

Florist Neil Honor of the Original Wreath Company takes us through making our own Christmas wreath using plants from the garden and Matthew Wilson, curator of the RHS garden at Harlow Carr, gives advice on a more sustainable approach to gardening.